Blogging has been around for a decade or more and businesses are beginning to see the value of blogging as a marketing technique. In the Internet age, businesses are now beginning to see the value in blogging and working with bloggers to promote products. Many consumers turn to blogs when seeking out information and product reviews. The value of blogging and the role of the blogger are being redefined.

In a 2007 Manning Selvage and Lee survey, seven of ten marketing professionals said that they already targeted bloggers or were planning to in an effort to better deliver their messages. Nearly half said that they were watching consumer-generated content carefully.

Perhaps the most revealing information about blogging as a marketing technique comes from a 2007 study that showed that marketing leaders used blogs twice as much as non-leaders did. Blogging has a big impact on the current generation of consumers and businesses who use blogging as a marketing technique clearly benefit.

You’ll get the biggest bang from blogging when you establish a direct relationship between your products or services and the blog. Provide well-thought out information, reviews and commentary to add value to your blog and you’ll establish yourself as a leader in the field.

Blogging is too big a factor in consumer research and purchasing decisions to ignore. As a marketing technique, blogging is a great way to establish a competitive advantage over other businesses in your niche. It also helps to establish you as a readily available authority that people turn to and trust when they want information, opinions and expertise.

Photo Credit: Sanja Gjenero